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An ongoing debate in this journal (Roper 2011 and subsequent comments) has attempted to examine the ideological nature of the Key government, in particular in relation to its espousal and implementation of a neo-liberal ideological agenda. It seems increasingly clear that in their second term, freed from some of the malign effects of the Global Finance Crisis (GFC), a range of government initiatives are contemporaneously being put in place to implement such an agenda, although this is being carried out quietly and pragmatically without the ideological cover of an explicitly articulated neo-liberal ideology. However, the way in which some of these moves are undertaken is far-reaching, with some breaching of more traditional 'constitutional' rules concerning proper ways of proceeding and undermining of constitutional safeguards. These moves are made in relation to employment relations, the Resource Management Act, welfare system etc. as various critics have pointed out (e.g. Clifton, 2013; Taylor, 2013).Within this framework, although not entirely driven by it, there is considerable infrastructural change underway in various sectors of social science. This editorial will look at - in turn - the broader social science sector (including think-tanks), University social research, within-Government social research changes, and finally current Government science agenda-setting and funding arrangements.Social Science Sector as a wholeThe sector guidance provided by the social science adviser in the former Ministry of Science and Technology (backed up by occasional reviews) has lapsed with the swallowing up of that Ministry into MOBIE. However, the recent advent of the e-Social Science hub (www.eSocSci.org.nz) - funded by MOBIE provides a useful forum for collective resources and linkages (made more effective by Louise Munro - former social science adviser in MORST - being recently appointed as a co-director).NGOs and Think-TanksThe New Zealand Initiative (http://nzinitiative.org.nz/) was formed in late 2012 through an amalgamation of the Auckland based New Zealand Institute and the Business Roundtable to form a further membership organisation which sees itself as a think-tank. Their values are to be:... committed to developing policies that work for all New Zealanders... But we are certainly an Initiative that usually prefers Adam Smith's invisible hand to government's visible fist....we believe that our goals and values are similar - if not identical - to what most New Zealanders want to see achieved: a good education system; affordable housing; an open economy; a free and democratic society; the protection of our natural resources and heritage; sound public finances; and a stable currency. The challenge in public policy is often not to define what you want to achieve. The real challenge is finding ways of achieving widely shared goals.Their current work-streams are on:- Foreign Direct Investment- Better Education &- Housing Affordability.The Sustainable Business Council (http://www.sbc.orR.nz/) is a CEO-led group of companies that catalyses the New Zealand business community towards creating a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. It brought together the memberships of the BusinessNZ Sustainable Business Forum (SBF) and the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development (NZBCSD).There is also considerable social research activity from the Child Poverty Action Group, Salvation Army's Parliamentary Policy Group, the Council of Christian Social Services and others. Other think-tanks, such as Maxim and the MacGuiness Institute1 continue their activities but without much fanfare.UniversitiesIt would be difficult to track University-based social research activities even in terms of social science research units. There seems to have been considerable turnover with several units (especially several at VUW such as the former criminology research unit) ceasing, although the highly prominent IPS has been Λ rejuvenated as the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies (IGPS) . …
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